Archive for the ‘Air Purifiers’ Category

H1N1 in Fort McMurray

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

The H1N1 influenza virus isn’t like any other flu strain we have seen in recent years. What is commonly referred to as the Swine Flu is causing widespread illness across North America. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states this is an unprecedented flu season, and as a result of this new strain, people are dying in record numbers. According to the CDC, the H1N1 has killed approximately 86 children this season and a majority of those young victims were teenagers between the ages of 12 to 17. These are sobering statistics which doctors believe are expected to increase as the season continues.

To help prevent the spread of influenza’s including H1N1 in your home A-1 Ductworks is offering for a limited time a  free fogging of “Benefect” with every booking of our furnace and duct cleaning service or the install of any of our Indoor Air Quality Products. Benefect’s groundbreaking botanical technology is proven to kill over 99.99% of bacteria & surpasses Health Canada’s efficacy requirements for broad spectrum hospital disinfectants.

Have you ever worried about the antimicrobial products that you use? Sure they do the job but are they toxic? Are they suitable for use around children, pets, the chemically-sensitive or the elderly?  Are they environmentally responsible & sustainable? Benefect is a disinfectant and is effective against Swine Flu and all other influenza A viruses, HIV, Herpes, Staph, Salmonella, Mold, etc. and is completely safe for use in any environment.

Tips for preventing the spread of influenza’s in your home, school or office.

What Systems are Available to Sterilize, Capture and or Kill Airborne Flu Viruses?

1. MERV Rated Filters, H.E.P.A.

The Lifebreath Turbulent Flow Precipitator (TFP) In-home Air Cleaner gives the kind of performance needed to maintain excellent Indoor Air Quality.

It removes close to 99.97% (MERV Rating of 17 The Highest)of particles such as pollen, fungus spores, dust, animal dander and dirt; removes some bacteria;
and even removes a large proportion of particles as small as one tenth of a micron – only visible in an electron microscope.
And it does this continuously, day after day, year after year.

2. Germicidal UV Lights

Sanuvox Ultraviolet Air Purifiers will destroy biological & chemical contaminants such as mold, bacteria, spores, viruses, allergens, cigarette smoke,
cooking & pet odors, diesel fumes, VOCs and thousands of other airborne contaminants. Sanuvox UV Purifiers showed:

99% reduction of microbial and endotoxin concentrations
40% reduction in respiratory symptoms

3. Benefect HVAC Fogging

Benefect’s groundbreaking botanical technology is proven to kill over 99.99% of bacteria & surpasses Health Canada’s efficacy requirements for broad spectrum hospital disinfectants.
A simple fogging of your HVAC system will eliminate 99.99% of all bacteria and viruses your HVAC system.

A-1 Ductworks is your local Furnace Duct Cleaning and Indoor Air Quality experts call 780-598-5966 for a free estimate on furnace and duct cleaning or Indoor Air Quality Product installation.  For a Limited time A-1 Ductworks is offering a free Fogging of your HVAC system with every booking of Furnace and Duct Cleaning or the install of a Air Quality Product.

Posted in Air Purifiers, Allergies, Furnace duct Cleaning, Indoor Air Quality, Sick Building Syndrome | Comments Off

The Facts about Dust Mites

Sunday, May 17th, 2009
House Dust Mite

House Dust Mite

Dust Mites are a reality, they live with and feed off the human species. Are dust mites dangerous? well the short answer is yes. Dust mites themselves are not dangerous and do not drink blood like the bed bug but they can cause breathing problems and bring on allergy attacks through there fecal matter. Dust mites do not have stomachs, but the enzymes left behind after feeding are a common cause of asthma and allergic symptoms worldwide.

A typical house dust mite measures only 420 micrometers in length and 250 to 320 micrometers in width. Well not large in size they are large in numbers, a typical mattress can have as many as two million dust mites occupying it’s warm and well nourished frame. The human body losses as much as 1.5 grams of skin per day which enough to feed over a million dust mites. (more…)

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Posted in Air Purifiers, Allergies, Furnace duct Cleaning, Indoor Air Quality, Mold | 1 Comment »

What is Sick Building Syndrome?

Saturday, May 16th, 2009

Sick Building Syndrome or (SBS) is a combination of aliments usually associated with the Heating Ventalation And Air Conditioning Systems (HVAC), including molds, volatile organic compounds, improper exhaust ventilation, outgassing of building materials and the by products of chemicals located near the HVAC system.

Usually the systems of SBS are sensory irritation of the eyes, nose, throat; neurotoxic or general health problems; skin irritation; nonspecific hypersensitivity reactions; and odor and taste sensations.

SBS is one of the leading casues of employee’s missing work in North America and costs businesses hundereds of millions per year. Great lengths have been taken to prevent and correct the causes of SBS. What can you do to identify and correct the problems associated with SBS?

1. Pollutant source removal or proper storage of chemicals in your building. Storage of harsh chemicals in the mechical rooms can lead to unwanted fumes and vapors finding their way into the HVAC system.

2. Remove carpeting that has been damaged with water. Carpet that has been through a flood can be filled with molds and should be replaced as soon as possiable.

3. Use paints, adhesives, solvents, and pesticides in well-ventilated areas, and use of these pollutant sources during periods of non-occupancy.

4. Increase the amount of air exchanges in the building. A minimum of 8.4 complete air exchanges per 24 hour period is the reccommended amount by the engineers of The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning.

5. Proper and regular maintence of the HVAC system.

6. Proper cleaning and disenfecting of the air handling system and the attached ducting.

With building getting tighter and not allowing leaks to naturally occur we have to be sure to follow the proper installation of HVAC systems and consider installing air exchangers. Be sure to maintain your HVAC system and periodically clean the entire system.

Contact A-1 Ductworks of Alberta Canada at 780-598-5966 to recieve a free estimate on your Furnace Duct Cleaning http://www.furnacecleaning.info

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Posted in Air Purifiers, Allergies, Furnace duct Cleaning, HVAC, Indoor Air Quality, Mold, Sick Building Syndrome | 1 Comment »

Furnace Filter Types and MERV Ratings

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
Can You Find The Furnace Filter?

Can You Find The Furnace Filter?

Your furnace system is the lungs of your home; the air that you breathe is first passed through the furnace system where it can be cleaned, humidified, heated or cooled.

Having a good furnace filter should be a high priority for your furnace system and your health. Furnace filters were originally designed to protect your furnace fans and other components. With increased knowledge of Indoor Air Quality filters were developed to both protect the furnace system and the residents of the home.

Your home is full of airborne contaminants such as:

· Dust on the floors and surfaces that are disturbed by activity in the home.

· Smoking, burning candles lint from laundry and cooking are just a few duct sources

· Hair and skin flakes from humans or pets. Did you know that humans shed an estimated 1.5 pounds per year.

· Pollens and dust that leak into the home through open windows or air intakes.

Dust particles can be so small that they are inhaled and exhaled from your lungs without getting trapped. Some particles are too large to get be inhaled but the dangerous particles are those that are breathed into your lungs and get trapped there. These particles are the ones that can cause respiratory illnesses. (more…)

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Posted in Air Purifiers, Allergies, Furnace Filters, Furnace duct Cleaning, Indoor Air Quality | 1 Comment »

Dryer Vent Cleaning Methods

Monday, May 11th, 2009

Here at A-1 Ductwork we have two main types of cleaning when it comes to cleaning dryer vent systems.

Dryer Vent Cleaning Technique

Dryer Vent Cleaning Technique

1. Standard Cleaning Procedure: All dryer vents are cleaned from the outside using high pressure compressed air with a reverse skipper ball that sends the skipper ball rocketing down the venting to the base of the dryer. Once the skipper ball has gone as far as it will go we start to retract the skipper ball back towards us pulling all the debris and and lint back to the outside where it is collected into a large truck mounted vacuum system.

2. Challenge Cleaning: This type of cleaning is preformed when the dryer system is completely plugged up of not accessible from the outside due to height or concealed from sight. We disconnect the dryer from the venting and insert the Viper Cleaning System into the venting using the Air Whip fitting. The Viper System is a high pressure compressed air cleaning system that uses different fittings that are attached to the end. 250 pounds on air pressure is forced through the Viper System that forces the air out forward, using the Air Whip fitting which has many small air tubes that whip around in the ducting loosing the debris and lint from the walls of the venting well pushing and the lint to the outside of the home. This method is used when cleaning commercial dryer vent systems. (more…)

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Posted in Air Purifiers, Dryer Vent Cleaning | 1 Comment »

Quick Tips to Improve Indoor Air Quality in Your Home

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009
Indoor Air Quality

Indoor Air Quality

We spend up to 90% of our time indoors and more than half of the population in North America suffery for at least one allergy. Spring and Summer are the worst time of the year for people who suffer from any allergies, so this year add these tips to your regular spring cleaning regimen to help eliminate the needless suffering.

1. Before you enter your home brush off your clothes and shoes to remove any pollen spores and debris that you may picked up during the day.

2. During hot Summer days where the humidity levels can rise up over 80% in the home the perfect weapon against both the hot air and the poor indoor air quality due to high humidity levels is the Air Conditioning System. A good Air Conditioning system will keep the home in the 30 – 40% humidity range eliminating molds and forcing the air to run through the furnaces air filters. If your home is not equipped with Air Conditioning then a portable Air Conditioner will still decrease the humidity levels in the home. (more…)

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Posted in Air Purifiers, Allergies, Indoor Air Quality, Mold, Sick Building Syndrome | 1 Comment »

Lifebreath TFP Air Cleaner

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009
Lifebreath TFP Air Cleaner

Lifebreath TFP Air Cleaner

Indoor Air Quality is a major concern for many people who suffer from allergies or asthma. Last week I installed one of our best Indoor Air Quality warriors in the Lifebreath TFP air cleaner.

My customer was faced with breathing problems that caused her to cough constantly when in the comfort of her own home. She called our company to have the furnace duct cleaning service performed and ask what other steps she could take to improve the indoor air quality in her home.

This is a fairly new home but has never had the furnace system cleaned in its five year existence. First we preformed our Viper cleaning method to insure that all the debris would be removed from the system. Next we removed the the drum humidifier that was never cleaned and full of mold and calcium buildup and not providing much humidity to the home, we replaced this with our Generalaire SL-16 Flow Thru Humidifier. After removing the sources of the poor indoor air quality we installed the best air cleaning system available today in the Lifebreath TFP air cleaner. (more…)

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Posted in Air Purifiers, Allergies, Furnace Filters, Indoor Air Quality, Mold, Sick Building Syndrome | 2 Comments »